Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Petuniaxc3x97hybrida cultivar Duesurimblu.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant, botanically known as Petuniaxc3x97hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Duesurimblu.
The new Petunia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Rheinberg, Germany. The objective of the breeding program is to create new freely branching Petunias with large flowers and attractive flower coloration.
The new Petunia originated from a cross pollination made by the Inventor in April, 1997 of a proprietary Petunia selection identified as code number E-19-03, not patented, as the female, or seed parent, with a proprietary Petunia selection identified as code number S-19-02, not patented, as the male, or pollen parent. The new Petunia was selected as a single plant from the resulting progeny of the cross-pollination by the Inventor in Rheinberg, Germany in May, 1999, on the basis of its attractive flower color.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal vegetative cuttings taken in Rheinberg, Germany since 2000, has shown that the unique features of this new Petunia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
Plants of the cultivar Duesurimblu have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Duesurimbluxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Duesurimbluxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Compact, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit.
2. Freely basal branching.
3. Freely flowering habit.
4. Single flowers that are purple in color.
Compared to plants of the female parent, the selection E-19-03, plants of the new Petunia are more freely flowering and differ in flower color. Compared to plants of the male parent, the selection S-19-02, plants of the new Petunia have a more rounded flower shape.
Plants of the new Petunia can be compared to plants of the cultivar Surfinia Blue, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Rheinberg, Germany, plants of the new Petunia differed from plants of the cultivar Surfinia Blue in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Petunia were more compact than plants of the cultivar Surfinia Blue.
2. Plants of the new Petunia were more freely branching than plants of the cultivar Surfinia Blue.
3. Flowers of plants of the new Petunia were slightly smaller but more rounded than flowers of plants of the cultivar Surfinia Blue.